Generally, an inspection or a test of electrical characteristic of a packaged or molded semiconductor device, more particularly, an integrated circuit (IC) is generally performed by utilizing an inspection socket, that is, a test socket, i.e., an auxiliary apparatus to which a semiconductor device is removably attached.
There is provided an auxiliary apparatus of such a type using a crank-shaped contact, i.e., a probe wherein a needle front portion to be in contact with a lead (electrode portion) of a semiconductor device and a needle tail portion to be connected to wiring portions of a base plate are bent in the opposite directions (Japanese Patent Appln. Public Disclosure No. 7-229949).
In this conventional auxliary apparatus, each probe is attached to a common needle holder by an adhesive in the intermediate portion between the needle front portion and the needle tail portion such that the needle front portion extends upward and the needle tail portion extends downward. In this conventional auxiliary apparatus, however, an assembling work such as attaching a probe to the needle presser or soldering the needle tail portion to the wiring portions of the base plate requires skill, and since the length dimension of an effective area (from the tip end of the probe to a connecting point to the wiring portions) is great, there is a limitation in raising the frequency of an electric signal used for testing.
There is another auxiliary apparatus for testing which uses a plate-like probe formed in a Z-like or an annular shape (U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,094 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,996). In this conventional auxiliary apparatus, however, each probe is pressed against an electrode portion of a device to be inspected in its arc-shaped deformed face portion, no scraping action due to a displacement of the deformed face portion relative to the electrode portion occurs, so that a film like an oxide film existing in the electrode portion is not effectively eliminated. Consequently, a favorable electric contact between the probe and the electrode portion cannot be obtained.
There is an auxiliary apparatus for testing the electrical characteristic of a non-packaged or non-molded semiconductor device, particularly an IC chip, which uses a probe bent in a C-like shape (Japanese Patent Appln. Public Disclosure No. 5-299483). According to this conventional auxiliary apparatus, however, since each probe is only held in a socket by its own spring force, the probe is unstable, and since both ends of the C-like shape must be further curved, the probe becomes complicated in shape and expensive.
Accordingly, in an auxiliary apparatus for testing device, it is important to simplify the shape of a probe, to enhance the stability of the probe, to make it adapted to a high frequency test, and to facilitate manufacturing same, in spite of giving an effective scraping action to the electrode portion of the device to be inspected.